I planned to stay a year. Here I am on my forty-first year of living in the country, Canada. I left the Philippines on a one-year leave from my position at work. After the first year I wrote my place of work for another year of extension of my leave. After two years, I went back and personally… Read More »
When we talk to immigrants about things they most value in living in Canada, one of the first things they would mention is health care privileges. “You can rush to a doctor or a hospital with your health card and not worry that you do not have enough money to pay for the health care services you badly… Read More »
This is by far the most costly Olympics ever – about fifty billion dollars! The preparation started seven years ago. At the time of the opening, there were hotel rooms that were not completed, unclean water was coming out of some faucets and guests who reserved rooms a long time ago found their accommodations occupied by other people.… Read More »
Fire!!! And Ice!!! It was scary! It seemed unreal. The sky was lit by the gigantic flames. In four hours, that demonic inferno consumed a senior’s home, the residence of 52 vulnerable people in the sunset of their lives, mostly in their eighties and nineties, majority of whom had limited mobility. It was a home of the aged… Read More »
There were signals that this is going to be a bad winter. Remember the plunging temperature and snow storm in November? But what do we expect? This is Canada. As a friend of mine from Quebec said. “This is nothing. This is winter in this part of the world.” In early December temperature in the mid west was… Read More »
I am writing by the window to get some light. We have power outage here in Thornhill. IT started at about nine on Saturday and it is already eleven in the morning Sunday and electricity is not back. Is this the last storm of the year? I wonder!. There are nine more days left. I woke up this… Read More »
By late October, before Halloween, hints of Christmas are already in the air and on the windows of shopping malls. The radio and television start the tunes of “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus is coming to Town.” By the middle of November the Santa Claus Parade brings thrills and excitement to children and their parents as well. In… Read More »
On November 8, 2013, a storm of such great force and magnitude that had not hit this earth before landed and wrought havoc and indescribable damage in the fair islands of the Philippines. Thousands of people lost their lives, many of whom lay for days under the debris. The survivors many of whom were children, started to look… Read More »
The Philippines has been in the top news and will stay there for a while due to the recent natural calamity that has befallen this country. It is said that this storm was the strongest ever that had hit the face of the earth – stronger than Katrina which was a Signal No 4 with winds of 175… Read More »
Canada and the United States of America have different views of newcomers to each country. Canada has a policy of integration; the United States, of assimilation. An immigrant to Canada is given the privilege of retaining his or her identity, preserve the traditions of the country of origin as well as celebrate them and settle peacefully with other… Read More »